A.B.S. - American Bureau of Shipping is an American ship classification society.

a.c. - Account

A.C.A.S. - "Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service"

A.C.I.I. - Associate of Chartered Insurance Institute

A.C.V. - Air cushion vehicle (hovercraft)

A.F. - Advanced freight

a.f.a.a. - as far as applicable

A.G.W.I. - "Atlantic, Gulf, West Indies Limits"

a.h. - After hatch

A.H.F. - American hull form (insurance policy)

A.I.M.U. - American Institute of Marine Underwriters

A.I.R.M.I.C. - Association of Insurance and Risk Managers in Industry and Commerce "Fonds Africain de Developpement, FAD) is an affiliate of the African Development Bank (AfDB) which provides interest-free loans to African countries for projects which promote economic and social development and improve international trade among members o" -

A.M.I. - Absolute maximum loss

A.M.V.E.R. - Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue

A.O. Voy. - Any one voyage

A.O.B. - Any one bottom

A.O.E. - Any one event

A.O.L. - Any one loss

a.o.loc. - Any one location -

A.O.O. - Any one occurrence

A.O.R. - Any one risk

A.O.V. - Any one vessel

A.P. - Additional premium

A.P.L. - As per list

A.R. - All risks

A.S.E.A.N. - Association of South East Asian Nations

A.T.L. - Actual total loss

A/C - Account current

A/o - Account of

A/P - Additional premium

A/R - All risks. Against all risks

A/S - "After sight, Account sales, Alonside (chartering)"

A/T - American terms (grain trade)

A/v - "Average, ad valorem (according to value)"

AADFI - Association of African Development Finance Institutions

AAEI - American Association of Exporters and Importers

AAIB - Arab-African International Bank

AATP - Association of African Trade Promotion Organizations

ABC - American Business Center

ABCA - Association des Banques Centrales Africaines

Abdnt. - Abandonment

ABEDA - Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa

ABI - "American Business Initiative, Automated Broker Interface"

Absorption - "Absorption is investment and consumption purchases by households,businesses, and governments, both domestic and imported. When absorption exceeds production, the excess is the country's current account deficit."

Abt. - About

ABTA - Association of British Travel Agents

Abu Dhabi Fund for Arab Economic Development. - "ADFAED promotes economic and social development in African, Arab, and Asian developing countries. The Fund, which was created in July 1971, began operations in September 1974; headquarters are in Abu Dhabi"

ACAB - Association of Central African Banks

ACC - Arab Cooperation Council

Acc. - Acceptance. Accepted

Accession - "Accession is the process by which a country becomes a member of an international agreement, such as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) or the European Community. Accession to the GATT involves negotiations to determine the specific obligat"

Accession - "This refers, in general, to the process of a country joining the GATT. During accession to the GATT, a country accords tariff and other concessions that are its 'price of admission' to the GATT. Although accession to the GATT binds a country to the Genera"

ACCJ - American Chamber of Commerce in Japan

accomplished bill of lading - Original bill of lading surrendered to the carrying ship at the discharge port in exchange for the goods.

ACCT - Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation

Acct - Account

ACDA - Arms Control and Disarmament Agency

ACEP - Advisory Committee on Export Policy

ACH - Automated Clearinghouse

ACP - "African, Caribbean, and Pacific"

ACP - "African, Caribbean and Pacific States"

ACPC - Association of Coffee Producing Countries

ACS - Automated Commercial System

ACTPN - Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations

ACU - Asian Clearing Union

AD - Antidumping

Ad Val - Ad Valorem

Ad Valorem - "Literally: according to value. Any charge, tax, or duty that is applied as a percentage of value. "

Ad Valorem Equivalent - "AVE is the rate of duty which would have been required on dutiable imports under that item, if the United States customs value of such imports were based on the United States port of entry value. "

AD Valorem Tariff - "A tariff assessed as a percentage of the value of the goods cleared through customs. For example, 10 percent Ad Valorem means the tariff is 10 percent of the value of the goods."

Administrative Exception Notes - "CoCom controls exports at three levels, depending on the item and the proposed destination. At the lowest level, ""national discretion"" (also called ""administrative exception""), a member nation may approve the export on its own, but CoCom must be notified"

Administrative Protective Order - "An Administrative Protective Order, APO, is used to protect proprietary data that is obtained during an administrative proceeding. Within Commerce, APO is most frequently used in connection with Antidumping and Countervailing Duty investigations to prohi"

Administrative Review - "Each year, beginning on the anniversary of the date of publication of an antidumping duty order, the Commerce Department's International Trade Administration is required to review and determine the amount of any antidumping duty, if an interested party re"

ADRs - American Depository Receipts

ADS - Agent Distributor Service ADS provides a custom search overseas for interested and qualified foreign representatives on behalf of a U.S. exporter. Officers abroad conduct the search and prepare a report identifying up to six foreign prospects that have examined the U.S. firm's product literature and have expressed interest in representing the U.S. firm's products.

Advanced Technology Products - "About 500 of some 22,000 commodity classification codes used in reporting U.S. merchandise trade are identified as ""advanced technology"" codes and they meet the following criteria: -The code contains products whose technology is from a recognized high tec"

Advisory Committee on Export Policy - "The Advisory Committee on Export Policy, ACEP, is an interagency dispute resolution body that operates at the Assistant Secretary level. ACEP is chaired by Commerce; membership includes the Departments of Defense, Energy, and State, the Arms Control and "

Advisory Committee on Trade Negotiations (ACTN) - "A group appointed by the U.S. President to advise him on matters of trade policy and related issues, including trade agreements."

Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations - "The ACTPN is a group (membership of 45; two-year terms) appointed by the President to provide advice on matters of trade policy and related issues, including trade agreements. The 1974 Trade Act requires the ACTPN's establishment and broad representation"

Advocacy Center - "The Advocacy Center, established in November 1993, facilitates high-level U.S. official advocacy to assist U.S. firms competing for major projects and procurements worldwide. The Center is directed by the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee; offices ar"

AECA - Arms Export Control Act

AEF - Africa Enterprise Fund

AEN - Administrative Exception Note

AERP - Automated Export Reporting Program

AfDB - African Development Bank

AfDF - African Development Fund

AFESD - Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development

Affiliate - An affiliate is a business enterprise located in one country which is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by a person of another country to the extent of 10 percent or more of its voting securities for an incorporated business enterprise or an equi

Affiliated Foreign Group - "An affiliated foreign group means (a) the foreign parent, (b) any foreign person, proceeding up the foreign parent's ownership chain, which owns more than 50 percent of the person below it up to and including that person which is not owned more than 50 pe"

"Affreightment, contract of " - "An agreement by a steamship line to provide cargo space on a vessel at a specified time for a specified price to accommodate an exporter or importer, who then becomes liable for payment even if he is later unable to make the shipment."

AFREXIMBANKAfrican Export-Import Bank -

Africa Enterprise Fund - "The AEF, operating under the International Finance Corporation, began operations in late 1989. The Fund assists small and medium-size enterprises in sub-Saharan Africa, supports investment projects, and promotes development of private enterprises in Afri"

Africa Project Development Facility - The APDF seeks to accelerate development of productive enterprises sponsored by private African entrepreneurs as a means of generating self-sustained economic growth and productive employment in Sub-Saharan Africa. The facility provides advisory services

African Development Bank - AfDB (French: Banque Africaine de Developpement) provides financing through direct loans to African member states to cover the foreign exchange costs incurred in Bank-approved development projects in those countries. Fifty-one African countries are member

African Development Foundation - "ADF provides economic assistance to groups and institutions involved in development projects at the local level. The foundation's assistance, designed as a complement to the U.S. foreign aid program, is awarded only to native African organizations and in"

African Management Services Company - "AMSCO provides temporary managers and management training to support the development of African companies. AMSCO works through a network of representatives in Africa; its clients include privately owned companies, public sector companies, and subsidiarie"

After Date - "A term used on a draft, bill of exchange or note indicating the date from which a draft will begin counting days until maturity. If an exporter draws a draft and stipulates a payment ""30 days after date"", the draft is due 30 days from the date on which it"

Agency for International Development - "AID was created in 1961 to administer foreign economic assistance programs of the U.S. Government. AID has field missions and representatives in approximately 70 developing countries in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Near East. "

Agent/Distributor Service - "The Agent/Distributor Service, ADS, is an International Trade Administration (ITA) fee-based service which locates foreign import agents and distributors."

Agrement - Agreement by one government to accept the accreditation of an ambassador from another government.

AGRICOLA - Agricultural OnLine Access

Agricultural Marketing Service - "Among its activities, the Agriculture Deparment's AMS is available to foreign buyers to assure that any product shipped overseas meets contract specifications. The service is operated on a user-fee basis. AMS works with the buyers to write a specificati"

Agricultural Officers - "Agricultural officers are embassy officials who are responsible for addressing agricultural trade policy issues and preparing reports on agricultural commodities such as rice, wheat, and dairy products. These officers promote U.S. exports by providing ma"

AGRIS - Agriculture Information System

Agt. - "Agent, Against, Agreement"

AIB - Arab International Bank

AIBD - Association of International Bond Dealers

AID - Agency for International Development

AID - Agency for International Development

Aide-Memoire - A short written summary of oral remarks made to a foreign government representative and left with that individual.

AIES - Automated Information Exchange System

AIG - Airbus Industries Group

AIMS - Agriculture Information and Marketing Services

Air Cargo Agent - A type of freight forwarder who specializes in air cargo and acts for airlines that pay him a fee (usually 5%). The Air Cargo Agent is registered with the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Air Freight Forwarder - "A type of freight forwarder who specializes in air cargo. The Air Freight Forwarder usually consolidates the air shipments of various exporters, charging them for actual weight and deriving his profit by paying the airline the lower consolidated rate. He "

Air Waybill - "An AWB is a bill of lading which covers both domestic and international flights transporting goods to a specified destination. Technically, it is a non-negotiable instrument of air transport which serves as a receipt for the shipper, indicating that the "

Air Waybill (Of Lading) - "A signed receipt and a contract to deliver goods by air. Such bills are non-negotiable and do not convey title to the goods as do ""To Orders"" bills of lading used by ocean and land carriers. The title passes to the party to whom the goods are consigned (t"

Airbus Industries Group - "AIG is a supernational management organization responsible for design, development, manufacture, marketing, sales and support of selected commercial aircraft. Member countries are France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Airbus Industrie, G.I.E. "

Aircraft Agreement (ATCA) - "Formally known as the ''Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft.'' (ATCA), this MTN agreement is the only major sector-specific civil aircraft agreement. It establishes a framework of rules governing the conduct of trade in civil aircraft based on commercial"

AIST - Agency for Industrial Science Technology

AIT - American Institute in Taiwan

AIT - American Institute in Taiwan

AKA - Ausfuhrkredit-Gesellschaft

Aktiengesellschaft - "AG (German, meaning: ""stock company"") is a corporation with a separate legal personality which must have at least five partners. The firm name usually reflects the activities of the company and must include ""AG."" "

All Risks Coverage - "All Risks Coverage, a type of marine insurance, is the broadest kind of standard coverage, but excludes damage caused by war, strikes, and riots."

All-Risk Clause - An insurance provision that all loss or damage to goods is insured except inherent vice (self-caused).

Alongside - "A phrase referring to the side of a ship. Goods to be delivered ""alongside"" are to be placed on the dock or lighter within reach of the transport ship's tackle so that they can be loaded aboard the ship. Goods are delivered to the port of embarkation, b"

AMB - Ambassador

AMCHAM - American Chamber of Commerce

Amendments - Article XXX of the GATT Agreement provides that amendments (that become effective upon acceptance by two thirds of the Contracting Parties) are to be effective only for those parties which accept them.

American Business Center - "The ABC program provides U.S. companies which are exploring or establishing commercial opportunities in the Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union with business services such as telephone and fax, temporary office space, market information, a"

American Business Initiative - "The ABI, or American Business and Private Sector Development Initiative for Eastern Europe, emphasizes the export of American telecommunciations, energy, environment, housing, and agriculture products and services to Eastern European countries. "

American Depository Receipts - "ADRs are negotiable receipts for the securities of a foreign company which are kept in the vaults of an American bank, allowing Americans to trade the foreign securities in the United States while accruing any dividends and capital gains. "

American Institute in Taiwan - "The AIT is a non-profit corporation that represents U.S. commerical, cultural, and other interests in Taiwan in lieu of an embassy. In 1979, the United States terminated formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan when it recognized the People's Republic of "

American Traders Index - "The American Traders Index, ATI, is the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service headquarters compilation of individual US&FCS domestic client files, for use by overseas posts to generate mailing lists. "

AMF - Arab Monetary Fund

amidships - At or towards the middle of a ship.

AMS - "Agricultural Marketing Service, Automated Manifest System"

AMSC - African Management Services Company

amt. - Amount

AMU - Arab Maghreb Union

Andean Group - The Andean Group (Spanish: Grupo Andino; sometimes referred to as Pacto Andino or Corporation Adino de Fomento; formal reference is Acuerdo de Cartegana in recognition of the Group's establishment in Cartegena in October 1969) is an association of Latin

Andean Reserve Fund - "The Andean Reserve Fund (Spanish: Fondo Andina de Reservas), associated with the Andean Group, was established to strengthen the balance of payments positions of member countries by offering credit, guarantee loans, and promoting compatibility among memb"

Andean Trade Preference Act - "The ATPA is a unilateral trade benefit program designed to promote economic development through private sector initiative in the four Andean countries of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The ATPA encourages alternatives to coca cultivation and produ"

ANF - Arrival notification form

Anti-Dumping Clause - A tariff imposed to discourage sale of foreign goods in the United States market at very low prices (below foreign country's domestic market) which might hurt U.S. manufacturers.

Antidumping - "Antidumping, as a reference to the system of laws to remedy dumping, is defined as a converse of dumping."

Antidumping Duty - A duty assessed on imported merchandise which is subject to an antidumping duty order. The antidumping duty is assessed on an entry-by-entry basis in an amount equal to the difference between the United States price of that entry and the foreign market v

Antidumping Duty Order - "A notice issued following final determination of sales at less than fair value and material injury, or threat of material injury, providing for the imposition of antidumping duties."

Antidumping Investigation Notice - The notice published in the Federal Register announcing the initiation of an antidumping investigation. An investigation must be initiated within 20 days of the filing of a valid petition.

Antidumping Petition - "A petition filed on behalf of an affected United States industry, alleging that foreign merchandise is being sold in the United States at ""less than fair value"" and that such sales are causing or threatening material injury to, or materially retarding the"

Antidumping/Countervailing Duty System - "The Antidumping/Countervailing Duty System, a part of Customs' Automated Commercial System, contains a case reference database and a statistical reporting system to capture data for International Trade Commission reports on antidumping and countervailing "

AOSIS - Alliance of Small Island States

AP - Administrative Protective Order

APAC - Auto Parts Advisory Committee

APDF - Africa Project Development Facility

APEC - Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation

API - American Petroleum Institute

Appd. - Approved

Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa - The ABEDA (French: Banque Arabe pour le Developpement Economique en Afrique -- BADEA) was created by the League of Arab States in November 1973 (began operations in March 1975) to promote economic and technical cooperation between Arab and African states

Arab Cooperation Council - "The ACC was created in 1989 to promote economic cooperation and integration. Members include Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and North Yemen. The ACC, partly intended as a counterpart to Gulf Cooperation Council, was created one day subsequent to the establishment"

Arab International Bank - "The AIB provides financing to support development of foreign trade among member nations and other Arab states. The Bank was established in October 1971; headquarters are in Cairo, Egypt. Member include: the governments of Oman, Qatar, and United Arab E"

Arab Maghreb Union - "The AMU (French: Union du Maghreb Arabe, UMA) encompasses Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. The Union was established in February 1989 to foster integration of the Maghreb economy. The Union also seeks to join the AMU and the Gulf Coope"

Arab Monetary Fund - "The AMF, originally aimed at correcting chronic deficits in the balance of payments in most member states, promotes Arab integration in monetary and economic affairs. The Fund's priorities have included: (a) addressing payments imbalances, (b) creating "

Arab Trade Financing Program - "The ATFP promotes trade among Arab countries and exports from Arab countries. The Program was established in 1989 by the Arab Monetary Fund; headquarters are in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. "

Arab-African International Bank ous buying and selling of the same commodity or foreign exchange in two or more markets in order to take advantage of price differentials.

Arbitrage - The practice of exchanging the currency of one country for that of another or a series of countries to gain an advantage from the differences in exchange rates.

Arbitration Clause - A clause in a sales contract outlining the method under which disputes will be settled.

Arms Control and Disarmament Agency - ACDA is an independent agency within the State Department. ACDA participates in interagency working groups that discuss export license applications requiring dispute resolution. ACDA is interested in dual-use license applications from a non-proliferatio

Arr. T. L. - Arranged total loss

Arrangement on Guidelines for Officially Supported Export Credits - "The Arrangement is an international agreement under Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development auspices governing the conditions -- such as interest rate, repayment term, and cash downpayment -- of medium- and long-term official export credit; "

arrest - Seizure of a ship by an authority of a court of law either as a debt security or to prevent the ship from departing until a dispute is settled.

ARS - African Regional Organization for Standardization

AsDF - Asian Development Fund

ASEAN - Association of Southeast Asian Nations

ASEAN - Association of South-East Asian Nations

ASEAN Free Trade Area - "The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed in January 1992 to create a free trade area (ASEAN Free Trade Area, or AFTA) with use of a common effective preferential tariff. Under the agreement ASEAN members will cut tariff rates within 15 y"

Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation - "APEC, established in November 1989, is an informal grouping of Asia Pacific countries that provides a forum for Ministerial level discussion of a broad range of economic issues. APEC includes the six ASEAN countries (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippi"

Asian Development Bank - "The ADB helps finance economic development in developing countries in the Asian and Pacific area through the provision of loans on near-market terms, with its Ordinary Capital Resources (OCR), and on concessional terms, through the Asian Development Fund "

Asian Development Fund - "The ADF (or AsDF), an affiliate of the Asian Development Bank, lends funds on concessionary terms to the Bank's least developed member countries."

Assessment - The imposition of antidumping duties on imported merchandise.

Association of African Development Finance Institutions - "AADFI (French: Association des Institutions Africaines de Financement du Developpement, AIAFD) promotes cooperative financing for social development in Africa and economic integration. The Association was established in March 1975; headquarters are in A"

Association of African Trade Promotion Organizations - "AATPO promotes inter-African trade, harmonization of commercial policies, communication among African states in trade matters, and research and training. The organization, which has about 26 members, was established in 1975 under the auspieces of the Org"

Association of Central African Banks - "ACAB (French: Association des Banques Centrales Africanines, ABCA) promotes cooperation among monetary, banking, and financial institutions in Africa. Members include two African regional banks and about 32 national banks. The Association was created i"

Association of International Bond Dealers - The AIBD provides a forum for over 500 members from 30 countries to review international securities market matters. The primary objectives of the Association are to provide a basis for examinaitn and discussion of questions relating to the secondary mark

Association of Southeast Asian Nations - "ASEAN was established in 1967 to promote political, economic, and social cooperation among its six member countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Brunei. ASEAN headquarters are in Jakarta, Indonesia. In January 1992, ASEAN"

Ausfuhrkredit-Gesellschaft - AKA (English: Export Credit Establishment) is an association of German banks which provide medium and long-term funding for exports.

Ausstellungs (Die) - und Messe-Ausschuss der Deutschen Wirtschaft - "AUMA (German: the German Industry Council for Exhibitions and Trade Fairs) promotes exports by bringing together government, semiprivate, and private organizations in the coordination of domestic and overseas trade events. AUMA is a private organization "

Australia Group - "The Australia Group, AG, is an informal forum through which 22 industrialized nations cooperate to curb proliferation of chemical and biological weapons through a supply approach. The AG's first meeting, held at the Australian Embassy in Paris in June 19"

Automated Clearinghouse - The Automated Clearinghouse (ACH) is a feature of the Automated Broker Interface which is a part of Customs' Automated Commercial System. The ACH combines elements of bank lock box arrangements with electronic funds transfer services to replace cash or c

Automated Commercial System - "The Customs Service's Automated Commercial System, ACS, is a joint public-private sector computerized data processing and telecommunications system linking customhouses, members of the import trade community, and other government agencies with the Customs"

Automated Export Reporting Program - The AERP provides for electronic submission of most information required on the Shipper's Export Declaration. The program was initiated in 1969 with the intent of enabling large volume exporters to submit electronically and facilitate Census Bureau data

Automated Information Exchange - "AIES, a part of Customs' Automated Commercial System, allows for exchange of classification and value information between field units and headquarters. "

Automated Manifest Systems - "AMS, a part of Customs' Automated Commercial System (ACS) controls imported merchandise from the time a carrier's cargo manifest is electronically transmitted to Customs until control is relinquished to another segment of the ACS. "

Automated Trade Locator Assistance Network - "ATLAS is a Small Business Administration-sponsored, contractor-operated, automated system which provides market research information and statistics on world markets by SIC code (and possibly harmonized system). Indirect access is available for businesses"